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What are the Different Ways of Making Personalized T-Shirts?

G. Wiesen
G. Wiesen

There are quite a few different ways to make personalized t-shirts depending on the results desired and the supplies someone has available. One easy way to personalize t-shirts is to use printable iron-on transfer paper that can be used with a standard computer printer to create custom designs or images. Someone can also send t-shirts to a professional who can print images onto those shirts, though this can be somewhat expensive. It is also possible to create personalized t-shirts using more practical methods such as using fabric markers or pens to write or draw on t-shirts and applying patches or ornate buttons to shirts.

Personalized t-shirts are typically any kind of t-shirts that have had some type of modification that makes them different from how they were originally purchased or manufactured. This is often done to plain colored or white t-shirts to make them unique or represent a particular person or group. Sports teams, for example, often have personalized t-shirts to help differentiate each team and indicate of what team a particular player is a member. Other groups and individuals can make t-shirts to commemorate a special event or occasion, such as a bachelor party, baby shower, or release of a major film.

An inkjet printer, which can be used to make personalized t-shirts.
An inkjet printer, which can be used to make personalized t-shirts.

One of the easiest ways to make personalized t-shirts is by having an image or logo printed onto the t-shirts. This can be done easily with the use of a computer and a printer. There are sheets of iron-on transfer paper that can be purchased and then printed onto using a standard inkjet printer. The image printed onto the paper can then be easily applied to a t-shirt and this can be done repeatedly using multiple sheets and t-shirts.

A t-shirt before being personalized.
A t-shirt before being personalized.

Personalized t-shirts can also be made in a similar way by sending them to a professional who can print an image onto them. This may be more expensive than someone creating their own shirts, but the results can also be more durable. Care should be taken by anyone printing an existing image onto a t-shirt that copyright laws and ownership are not violated in the process.

A professional can create a personalized T-shirt.
A professional can create a personalized T-shirt.

It is also possible to make personalized t-shirts through more conventional or practical means. Markers and pens designed to write on fabric can be used to allow individuals to write or draw on t-shirts. This can be done within a group to allow each person to have a unique appearance or to write on or sign each other’s shirts. Patches can also be sewn or ironed onto a shirt to make it different, and even decorative buttons can be attached to make personalized t-shirts.

Discussion Comments

pleonasm

@clintflint - I think you could do the same thing but make a shirt that would be nice to wear if you scanned in the signatures and messages and put them together in a nice t-shirt design without just letting people scrawl all over the shirt.

I know that's not what people are aiming for most of the time with those shirts but it's an idea for someone who would appreciate the gesture but prefer a neater gift.

clintflint

@MrsPramm - That's one of the reasons that I would prefer to make my own shirts. Those websites almost always have quite a few limitations, like only being able to print on a very small space on the front of the shirt, or only providing a few different kinds of styles and colors.

You also get stuck with whatever brand of shirt they are using which is rarely going to be the best quality.

And if it's just for fun, there's nothing wrong with using permanent markers on an ordinary shirt. I have a couple of shirts that friends signed at different occasions and I consider them to be precious keepsakes, even if I'm not inclined to wear them.

MrsPramm

There are plenty of places online now that will allow you to make your own custom shirts online and then get them delivered, or even put them up for sale as print-on-demand products.

If you are thinking about going this route, though, make sure you either do a lot of research into reviews of the service or just order a single shirt first to make sure that it's going to turn out the way you want it.

Some of them are very high quality and some of them are not so great and you don't want to order fifty shirts and find out after you receive them that the lettering is blurred and the image has been cut off at the wrong place.

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    • An inkjet printer, which can be used to make personalized t-shirts.
      By: luchshen
      An inkjet printer, which can be used to make personalized t-shirts.
    • A t-shirt before being personalized.
      By: gemenacom
      A t-shirt before being personalized.
    • A professional can create a personalized T-shirt.
      By: burnel11
      A professional can create a personalized T-shirt.